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YEAR
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(Before
Recorded
History)
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The Shoshone-Bannock build rock rings at Indian Tunnel.
The most recent volcanic eruption in Idaho creates the Broken Top Flow about 2,100 years ago.
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1805
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Lewis and Clark cross northern Idaho enroute to the Pacific Ocean.
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1831
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Lewis and Clark expedition member, Jean Baptiste Charboneau, gets
separated from a brigade of fur trappers and nearly perishes trying to cross the Snake River Plain from south to north.
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1833
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Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville explores the area with instructions to report back his findings to the War Department.
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1862
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Tim Goodale leads 1,095 emigrants and 338 wagons along a cutoff of the Oregon Trail that came to bear his name.
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1901
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Israel C. Russell with the US Geological Survey explores the area and provides the first geologic description of what he calls the Cinder Buttes.
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1916
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The Organic Act is signed into law, creating the National Park Service.
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1920
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Robert Limbert hikes the entire length of the Great Rift and widely promotes the region for status as a national park.
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1923
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Harold Stearns, a geologist, describes the area as the most recent example of a fissure eruption in this country and recommends it be preserved as a national monument.
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1924
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Limbert's article "Among the Craters of the Moon" is published in National Geographic Magazine.
President Calvin Coolidge signs a proclamation creating Craters of the Moon National Monument on May 2.
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1925
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First custodian Samuel Paisley constructs the first visitor center near Registration Waterhole and receives a salary of $12 per year.
1926 visitation = 4,620
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1927
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Waterholes that supplied water to the monument dry up following a series of earthquakes and water has to be hauled in for four years.
A troop of Boy Scouts finds Boy Scout Cave.
The Craters Inn and several cabins are built for the convenience of visitors.
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1931
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A waterline supplying water from springs in the north end of the monument to the campground and headquarters building completed.
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1956
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The Mission 66 Program initiates construction of today's road system, visitor center, shop, campround, and comfort station.
1956 visitation = 119,800
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1959
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The Craters of the Moon Natural History Association formed to assist the monument in educational activities.
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1961
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Dwarf mistletoe control program approved.
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1962
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Addition of Carey Kipuka increases the size of the monument by 5,360 acres.
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1968
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First study of dwarf mistletoe and the effects of the control program published.
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1967
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Study of mule deer completed.
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1969
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NASA astronauts Alan Shepherd, Edgar Mitchell, Eugene Cernan, and Joe Engle explore the park while training to visit the moon.
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1970
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Congress creates the Craters of the Moon Wilderness, one of the first such designations within the National Park Service along with Petrified Forest National Wilderness Area.
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1978
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The Great Rift is designated as a National Natural Landmark.
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1983
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Mt. Borah earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 felt at the monument but does little damage.
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1992
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Dedication of first totally accessible trail at Devils Orchard.
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1993
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Guided walks and programs attended by over 12,000 visitors.
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1994
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Visitor center lawns removed to eliminate the attraction that was causing deer to be killed while crossing the highway.
Goodale's Cutoff emigration reenactment.
1994 visitation = 227,918
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1997
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New exhibits installed in visitor center.
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1999
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75th Anniversary Celebration.
Joe Engle, Eugene Cernan, and Edgar Mitchell visit southern Idaho for the filming of "Return to the Moon," 30 years after their first visit.
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2000
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Park expanded to include all of the Great Rift Zone. Cooperative management initiated with the Bureau of Land Management.
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2016
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The National Park Service celebrates its Centennial.
2016 visitation = 255,436
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2017
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Craters of the Moon designated as an International Dark Sky Park.
Total solar eclipse brings record crowds to the park and other parts of southern Idaho.
2017 visitation = 285,227
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2020
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Magnitude 6.5 Challis earthquake is felt at the park. Caves closed into 2021 as aftershocks continue to be felt for over a year after the earthquake.
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2022
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Craters of the Moon Mission 66 Historic District added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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